Flashing Lights
by stardustmelody
Summary: Summmary Inside. NickJonasxOC


**In the summer of 2009, Aiden's mother gave her an ultimatum: either spend a summer in etiquette school or move in with her superstar uncle and cousin in California. Of course, she chose the latter ; who wouldn't want to spend time lounging on beaches with the hottest guys in the USA? But, she gets a lot more than she bargained for when she is thrown headfirst into the world of celebrities. From parties and premieres to vicious paparazzi and rumors , Aiden's got a lot to deal with, and it doesn't really help that her cousin's famous boyfriend is getting too close for her liking...**

* * *

She never had to tell me. I'd always known I wasn't the daughter my mom wanted. I was the tomboy. The girl you would catch making mud pies and digging for worms before you'd ever see her picking flowers. I loved football, fixing cars was my dream job and I burned dresses as a stress reliever. All this made me the complete opposite of my mother. She thought having a girl would finally provide some relief from the pain of living in a house full of men. But, she was sadly disappointed when she got a boy in a girl's body, and an even bigger pain in the ass.

But, it didn't mean she gave up hope completely. Since I was old enough to walk, my mom has been trying to change my unladylike ways. From forcing me into ballet and gymnastics to making me join the Little Ladies Society at the Westchester Country Club, she tried whatever she could to morph me into a younger version of herself: the poised, polite, high-class woman. Of course, all her attempts have failed, and it seems that she's getting sick and tired of dealing with me.

It was two weeks before I got out of school for summer vacation when my mom called me down to the dining room. "Sit," she said, gesturing towards the chair across from her own. When I settled into my seat, she simply slid a pamphlet across the dinner table and said six little words. "I'm sending you to etiquette school."

I slid the pamphlet back to her. "No."

She pushed the pamphlet in front of me and stared at me with stern eyes. "Aiden, you don't have a choice in the matter. You're going."

I rolled my eyes. "Mom. Don't you think you're overreacting? I mean, is it really that bad if I don't know how to arrange my cutlery or the proper way to fold a nap-"

"You may not think it's a big deal now, but wait until you become a businesswoman. Then, you'll say 'Ah, Mom was totally right.'" She said in a completely inaccurate imitation of my voice.

I laughed. "Mom, I'm not going to be a businesswoman. I think I've told you a million times that-"

She cut me off again. "Yes, I know, you want to be an engineer. But, I think that once you go to this school, you'll see that is just a dream."

I sighed. During times like this, the only thing I could do is let her go on about what she was talking about because my mom was impossible to talk to when she was like this. "Is there anything I can do to get out of this?" I asked, bored out of my mind after letting her drone on for a few minutes.

"Hm." She was silent for a few seconds before looking at me with a sly smile. "You have two choices. You can go to this school or you can spend the summer with your Uncle Dave and Rachel." I stared at her. I hated my cousin Rachel with every fiber in my being. Ever since her dad became a big-time producer in Hollywood, she's become a snobby brat. The chances of me agreeing to spend three months with her were very slim. My mom probably knew that and purposely made that the second choice. She's smarter than I tend to give her credit for. But, etiquette school? I think it's better to take the lesser of two evils.

"Fine." She smiled in triumph as if she knew my answer already. I folded my arms across my chest and smirked. "Call Uncle Dave and tell him to prepare one of his guest rooms." Her smile dropped and she stared at me incredulously. I stood from the table and yawned. "California, huh? I have some shopping to do, then."

Two weeks later, I was packing for my trip. My twenty-one year old brother Jason, who'd just arrived home from college, was sitting on my bed watching me. His hazel eyes were focused on me as he tried to persuade me to stay on my mother's behalf. "Aiden, you can't be serious about this trip. You _hate_ Rachel, you'll kill her within seconds of you being there."

I stopped my packing to look up at him. "Jay, it's either I go to California to stay with her or I go to etiquette school. _Etiquette_ school. I'd kill myself."

Jason rolled his eyes. "Etiquette school probably isn't as bad as you think it will be."

"No. It'll probably be worse," I replied absentmindedly.

"Aiden, I really think you should-"

My bedroom door flew open and slammed against the wall, cutting him off. "I heard you're going to stay with Dave!"

I looked up to see my cousin Becca standing in my doorway. Her short brown hair was in total disarray, her pale cheeks were flushed and she was breathing heavily, telling me that she probably ran here. "That I am, Becca. So, come here and help me pack." Becca was my favorite cousin. In fact, she was more like a sister. At 19, she was three years old than me, but for as long as I could remember, she's never treated me like a child. She knew about my hatred for Rachel, which is probably why she was still staring at me in shock instead of helping me.

"Why would you ever do that? You hate Rachel! Why are you intentionally going to her house? For three months!" I quickly recounted the details of my little dilemma to her and she laughed. "Well, that sucks." She said as she settled on my bed next to my brother. "I can understand why you chose Rachel, though. Etiquette school? Blech." She made a face of disgust.

"See, at least **someone** understands," I said to my brother. I stood up from my kneeling position by my large suitcase and went to my large closet. Pulling out various swimsuits, shirts and other pieces of clothing, I held them up to my body while Becca either approved or disapproved my choices.

From the corner of my eye, I could see Jason roll his own. "Look, Aiden. I'm just looking out for you. Maybe Mom is right. Etiquette school is way better than jail. Which is where you will be after you kill Rachel."

I looked over at my brother. "You really seem to be hooked on this killing Rachel idea. If anything, I don't know, I'll shank her or something."

"Shank her? I'd pay to see that." Becca called. She stood from the bed and walked over to me. Giving me a slight push, she took my place between the suitcase and the closet and began packing for me. I took her spot on the bed and turned to face my brother.

"You," Jason pointed at Becca, "stop being a bad influence and you," he looked at me, "listen. Maybe – just maybe – Mom is right. I mean, etiquette school will help you in the long run. Lounging around in California all summer won't."

"That's what _you_ think. Besides, I'd rather live with one snobby bitch than forty." My brother and I bickered back and forth while Becca continued to pack for me.

A few minutes later, Becca flipped the lid of my suitcase over, zipped it closed and clapped her hands. "Done!" She cheered triumphantly, taking Jason and I out of our little argument. "Jason, you're not going to convince her; I think you know that by now." She threw herself in between us on the bed and turned onto her side to face me. "When are you leaving?"

I looked down at her. "On Saturday, so in two days."

Seeming to have forgotten about the argument at hand, Jason pouted. "Aiden, I just got here! Now, you're leaving?"

Becca laughed. "I bet that's the real reason you don't want her to go. You're gonna miss your baby sister. Aw, look at Jason, the little cutie." She pinched his cheeks playfully and made baby sounds at him.

Jason smacked her hand away. "No. _My _reason is that she's going to be surrounded by hormonal teenage boys that I don't know. Not only that, She's living in a state that revolves around beach life and parties, and she's staying with our celebrity uncle. Something's bound to go wrong."


End file.
